The round table's primary policy question is to explore what policy research tools do policy makers have to go beyond the normative and technical aspects of cybersecurity and data protection by promoting a better understanding of Internet users' needs and perceptions of their privacy, safety and security online. The aim is to provide policymakers and other practitioners with practical guidance on how to include a human perspective to internet safety and security, in order to support the development of an Internet that can foster economic growth while reducing cyber-risks and harms, and sustainable development on the African continent and beyond.
In order to answer to this main question, the secondary questions are:
Do policy-makers take into account the human-rights dimension of data protection and cybersecurity when they develop policy and regulatory frameworks related to security, safety, stability and resilience?
What are the developmental challenges related to cybersecurity and data protection in Africa?
Do policymakers in Africa have enough capacity to investigate human issues related to security, safety, stability and resilience? What are the resources and tools available to build such capacity?
How can we measure and quantify potential progress to improving security, safety, stability and resilience in cyberspace to achieve the SDGs?
What societal, political, economic and capacity structures would need to be in place to effectively include a human-centric perspective to cyber-policy development?
How can we identify and quantify potential harms caused by cyber-threats and cyber-crime?
What are the existing norms that can bring about a human-centric approach, how practical are they and how can they be implemented by policymakers?
If the Internet is a “trust” technology, people’s views change significantly as they become more frequent users - how to account for this in long-term planning?
